STOUGHTON - Stoughton Daze lucked out with the weather on July 8-10.
At the beginning of the week, it looked to be a wet, messy situation but the sun was shining and the temperature kept climbing.
Starting on July 8, the Stoughton Golf Club held a nine-hole Texas scrambler tournament, while the band Switch entertained at the Crossroads Inn.
The following morning, a delicious pancake breakfast was served up by the fire department. The firefighters served around 170 hungry customers. According to Pat Slatter, these numbers are down from past years, but still was a great turnout.
At 10 a.m., the Lions’ parade began. The police, with sirens on, escorted the parade up Government Road, past the school, around the flat-top building and past the Pioneer Lodge. Residents of the lodge sat outside with smiles waiting to see the colourful floats, horses and to collect candy.
The parade continued down Main Street with hundreds of onlookers. Eager children grabbed candy and enjoyed all the sirens and floats.
A show and shine displayed beautiful vehicles along Main Street after the parade and could be seen throughout the day.
With the day heating up, and close to 30 C, the Stoughton Lions Club sponsored free swimming for the entire day. The pool was well used by all ages, according to Abby Bouvier, who worked the pool that day.
There was more excitement downtown at the drop-in centre. Displays of crocheting, knitting and children’s work were available for everyone to enjoy.
The bouncy castles, located at the grounds, were a big hit with the kids. Also, a face-painting booth was set up by volunteers Emma Gunnlaugson and Mikayla Jordan, just outside the castles.
Six teams entered a slo-pitch tournament, as friends played friends to win. The Vogel family and Goudy gang had some great competition in their game, but still took the time to sing happy birthday to Oliva.
Beach volleyball was also added this year. Although only three teams came to play, they had a blast in the pits. Many of them also played in the slo-pitch tournament, so that kept them busy.
At the horse arena, Shayda King demonstrated her trick riding skills. Her trusted and skilled horse Cloud loped around the arena while King would stand on his back or hang alongside by one leg. The crowd showed their appreciation with their loud cheers.
According to her mother Tammy King, Shayda was always on the go. As a toddler, King would ride in front of her mother in the saddle but would never sit.
“She always had to stand on the saddle with her arms in the air,” said Tammy King.
Switch played at the grounds in the beer garden. With the heat, the beer gardens saw a steady flow.
The evening was completed with the bright colours of the fireworks. The air display went on for about 20 minutes to a full parking lot at the grounds. The honking horns showed the crowd’s appreciation to the fireworks crew.
The weekend finished July 10 with Splash Yourself with Colour, a five-kilometre colour run-walk. The proceeds from this event went to the Stoughton Swimming Pool.
“The volunteers are amazing, and this cannot be done without them. They work hard and make it successful,” said Stoughton Recreation Board member Karla Gervais. “Also, a huge thank you to all the sponsors for making this a momentous event.”
